Customer Reviews

David Sedaris: Live For Your Listening Pleasure [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

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David Sedaris: Live For Your Listening Pleasure consists of David Sedaris reading five of his essays. Cat and Baboon is one of his animal fables, a cat being groomed at the baboon's salon before a party; Author, Author details some of Sedaris's book tours, including a hilarious visit to CostCo; Innocence Abroad, a hysterical piece on people who pronounce foreign names "authentically"; Laugh, Kookaburra is an amusing description of his visit to Australia, his interaction with a kookaburra and the childhood reminiscences that ensued; and Diary Entries, random diary entries detailing some more of his interactions with book tour attendants, and observations on his travels. Sedaris manages to do hilarious and poignant at the same time. Reading Sedaris is unadulterated pleasure: listening to him read his work doubles the pleasure.

In "David Sedaris Live for Your Listening Pleasure" he reads to audiences, and there's a lot of funny stuff he mines from his book tours. In this hilarious recording there's not as much family dissecting as usual, but his father, Lou, does appear to be hung out to dry (humorously, of course.) There are five titled sections on this recording.
He starts out with a fable in "Cat and Baboon" with a cat visiting the local masseuse, a baboon. Naturally they gossip, and they talk about various animal clients. The bit about the personal and shall we say, unsanitary habits of dogs and cats, I think it will have you roaring. Sedaris gets his biggest laughs from his occasional obscenities and the raunchier aspects of his comic writing. His delivery is always great, and he makes no bones about being gay; in fact, it's a source for great humor in his narratives.
He knows how to tell a story, very imaginatively and creatively. His "Laugh Kookaburra" about his trip to Australia has terrific descriptions and a literary flair. He's big on irony. "Australia is Canada in a thong." To give a shout is to treat someone to a drink or something else. Sedaris made a trip into the bush and came back with a tender story. This section has the cleverest thematic construction of all the stories on the CD. It could be a case study in how to tie words, ideas, and themes into a coherent whole.
"Author, Author" recounts his book tours. He goes to signings at Costgo, and in one funny episode he and his brother-in-law go there to pick up little gifts he can give at his signings. I'm not going to spoil the fun. You really should hear it. He gets a lot of joke material from people at the signings. He asks off-the-wall questions of his fans and gets weird answers.
"Innocence Abroad" is about the weird pronunciations people come up with when speaking a foreign language. In this section Sedaris's own snobbishness and dare I say, bitchiness, come through. He and his lovere Hugh live in France most of the year.
His last section "Diary Entries" is made up a series of short show-stopping jokes. It has some sensational one-liners. Watch out for the cabin attendants walking up and down the aisles crop dusting. This CD is a great joy ride! You can listen over and over and still laugh your head off!

David Sedaris tells story after humorous story, always pulling laughs from his audience (the audio recording is live). This short collection of memoir-esque stories will keep you laughing the whole way through.
The recording features four stories and several diary entries that are sure to have you grinning at the least and crying from laughing at the most.

Content: There was some mild language and some sexual references. Not for the easily offended.

Recommendation: Ages 18+ to anyone who enjoys radio shows, comedy, or just needs a good laugh and a break from reality.

**Thank you to Anna from Hachette Audio for providing my review copy!**

I looked like an idiot driving down the freeway at 7am laughing.
that's the problem with this CD, where can you listen to it laugh almost to tears and not look like you've escaped from the mental ward.
not while driving
not on the bus
not on a park bench
not alone in your bedroom or your mates will call the men in the white coats to pick you up
I guess you can't buy this. Much to risky to your reputation.

Sedaris's audio recordings are very quirky, very funny and always professionally delivered. You end up endeared to his humble, painfully honest and overtly anxious decency... and yes, his openly funny gayness too.